Real Courage
by DEP61
Summary: A reflection on fear, and how it moves different heroes. My first story.


"Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it." -Lt. John B. Putnam

"Sometimes the quietest people have the loudest minds." -Stephen Hawking

After big meetings, Frank thinks sometimes that it doesn't matter anymore whether he makes it or not, because the Seven have their leaders back and for once, maybe things are looking up. He thinks about it. Who would miss the big klutz in the background? He doesn't count Hazel's opinion in this, because he thinks she might have a reason for bias. He grips the rail of the Argo II and looks down at the sea rushing below him. He turns, suddenly feeling a little sick, and goes to his cabin.

Frank isn't stupid. He knows they'll grieve him if he goes, especially since he's praetor. Frank has a fear, though, that he won't be good enough. That one day, it will catch up to him, and the new look will be a farce as he falls to a monster. He wonders sometimes, why all this happened. Was it fate that he and Hazel were the ones that were out when Percy came towards them with a hippie goddess and two gorgons?

Frank thinks about his abilities. He always talked less than the others. He was quiet, the easier to drift through without causing a commotion. Deep down, Frank is very loud, though. He supposes it's the Mars in him. Once, his mom told him he was a introvert. That apparently meant he liked to be alone, and that he tended to be more reserved.

Frank had no problem with that. At least, he didn't until he was promoted to praetor of the Roman legion, 200 kids that were not exactly the type of people who were quiet. Frank realizes he has a problem on his hands.

The Argo II, returning from Greece, takes a while to get back to Camp Half-Blood. No one knows what is going on, whether the statue made it, or whether Nico, Reyna, or Hedge made it.

Frank is unsure about what is about to happen, but he spends some time thinking in his cabin over the next few days when he isn't attempting to kill some monster going after his girlfriend or another comrade. When one gets a few hours to think, though, they tend to understand.

And it hits Frank hard. On his bunk, he turns deathly pale, then back to normal as he realizes just what it will take for him to really assume the praetorship.

At Camp-Half Blood, everything is going swimmingly, as long as Octavian is locked up away from the negotiating table. Then, the Argo II touches down, and everyone realizes that the fate of the world rests in how the descent from the wildest month and a half of the Seven's lives goes.

Frank is the last one off. He's unused to the whole Praetor thing, and taking charge. He lets Percy and Jason do most of the talking. That's when Frank realizes the role he is playing fully. He clears his throat to speak.

The people quiet down.

Frank talks quietly about how Gaea is not defeated yet, how one last strike is planned. He walks the Romans and Greeks through what went down across the pond.

When he finishes, everyone is silent. A pin could drop, and everyone could do it. That's of course when Frank makes his move. Frank imagines a lion, the courage always associated with the majestic creature, the fact that he has his team standing with him. He opens his eyes again, looks at Leo, and speaks.

"Leo."

The name rings out like a bell in an abandoned monastery. Quietly, Frank takes all the courage he has, looks the crowd in the eyes, and says,

"I would like, with the consents my fellow praetors, to pardon Leo Valdez of all crimes. I have seen Leo, and I do not believe it was him who committed those actions."

Percy pipes up, now, "He was controlled by an eidolon. If there is one person we blame tonight, it's Gaea. I stand with Leo."

Reyna does not talk, but rather watches every proceeding with a calculating look. Finally, she jerks her head. The majority vote was won with Percy's words, but then Leo looks at Frank.

"Thanks."

Frank nods. He feels small. He wants to get away from the crowd, and his mind is running a million miles an hour. He can't believe he did that. He has always been terrified of being publicly ridiculed. He realizes that he'll never beat it. That's okay with him, though. He's got more pressing things that some silly worry.

Frank lets Hazel grab his hand as they follow Percy, who is laughing like a maniac on his way to his old cabin hugging everyone who passes by, and he realizes that it would matter if he died. There is a group that could immortalized Frank Zhang. He doesn't know them, but you can pick them out of a crowd sometimes.

Frank's a rarity, sometimes, because he is the son of Mars who doesn't enjoy killing things for fun. He is quiet, withdrawn, and tends to be more neat and orderly than his siblings. That also makes him different. He feels that maybe that's his best quality.

The introverts at both camps, the kids who are the quietest but are often the loudest inside, need someone to remember. The anomalies, the kids who don't fit in, the ones who would require a separate category to describe them. Frank is one of them, and he is all of them.

Frank would take this any day over being the most popular guys at a high school, because it makes him feel unique and special. It gives him courage, and sometimes, courage is the most important tool when fighting something that scares you.

Frank decides he knows who he's fighting this war for. Sometimes, that's the most important thing.


End file.
